


Not

by Silverfox



Series: Both or Neither Scenes [7]
Category: Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-29
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-09-29 23:07:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17212565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silverfox/pseuds/Silverfox
Summary: Another reply to the Family Photo challenge. Jean-Claude and his father.





	Not

-I don't like your Afrar.- Jesse had told Jean Claude once, and he hadn't meant Irozz.

Difficult as the relations between the old blood nobles and those of the colonies always were, Jesse still showed a certain fondness for the head of house Elhessar. In fact, he got on well with both Jean Claude's uncles. As for his siblings, Jenny simply adored 'her very own first real alien', even if he was only half of one, Jatt looked up to him, not to mention that he owed him gratitude for more than slightly preferential treatment and Jensz ... Well, Jesse had said she was too old for him, but they got on well enough on the few occasions they actually met.

Jean Claude still entertained a vague hope that 'Jensz is too old' might mean that Jesse was waiting for Jenny to grow up, though that too would be a rather big age difference. Perhaps he ought to introduce Jesse to a few of his female cousins instead before some of their older fellows started shoving their daughters his way ...

But that was a minor problem. Jesse would still be almost another brother even if he didn't marry into the family. They'd gone through too much together.

That Jesse disliked his father, though ... well, it troubled Jean Claude more than he wanted to admit. Most people disliked Istar and it had hardly ever bothered him. He'd grown up with their nervous looks and whispers, knowing that they just didn't understand. There was a way their culture told them that children ought to be bought up and compared to it the traditions of the Cats of War seemed brutal, just a matter of perspective.

Jean Claude understood tradition and is importance, and the power that lay in the Cats of War. A power that even Nemesis acknowledged. And you couldn't have that power without the blood, pain and tears of the children chosen, or born, to be Cats of War.

Nemesis had become an unofficial Cat at the age of seventeen, but then he was Nemesis. Of course he was unique. A normal Cat still had to start training as a toddler. All Elhessare understood and accepted that, and the children were proud to be chosen. The Cats were proud to be what they were. It wasn't abuse. The other clans simply called it that because they didn't understand.

But Jesse had been raised by Fleshlings! In one of those horrid mass raising farms they called orphanages! If that wasn't abuse Jean Claude didn't know what was. No clan, not even any parents as Fleshling cubs usually had. He couldn't imagine how Jesse had survived that relatively intact.

Well, Razzle said that Jesse had suffered some serious emotional damage, that when he'd first come to them his social skills had been worse than Jean Claude's ... but he also said that he'd turned out better than Jean Claude.

Jean Claude snarled at that, wondering whether it was just one of those things Razzle said to rile people up or whether he really thought there was something wrong with him. There was not! He was perfectly fine. He had friends and wasn't afraid to call them that. He liked to live in a dorm and hang out with his dorm mates. So what if he always ended up hurting them when they were sparring? It was battle training after all. How were you supposed to get it right in a real battle if you only ever practised not to hurt your opponent?

Anyway, he'd never given any of his friends a life-threatening injury and they knew he didn't mean them any harm. He had everything under control.

But that Jesse, neglected, abused, raised by wild animals Jesse, looked at Istar with the same doubt he saw from his over-civilised fully Outrider peers hurt.

Sure Jesse had never actually accused Istar of abusing his children out loud, but Jean Claude could see the thought in his eyes every time Istar's name came up in conversation.

Istar was not abusive! If they'd been abused surely his children wouldn't have turned out the way they had. Look at Jensz: She'd defied her parents' wishes and gone to the science academy to become a chemist rather than a soldier. Surely no abused child would have dared to even try that.

Then there was himself. He'd gone on with his language training and become a spy in spite of Istar's dislike for everything Fleshling ... despite of which Istar had also allowed his wife to choose Fleshling names for two of their children. Were those the actions of an abusive parent?

And Nemesis hadn't been forced to let Istar practically adopt him. He could have walked away any time. He'd stayed because he'd liked it. And look how he'd turned out! Ruler of the whole Outrider empire. And he said that he owed it all to Istar's kindness and support.

Then there was Jatt with his pathetic debut as an officer. Jean Claude had expected Istar to be furious when he'd heard the story, but all he'd done was give Jatt one little beating with a few broken bones and let Jesse take care of the rest.

And now there was Jenny, all of fourteen years old, facing down their father with cold determination in her eyes.

-But I don't want to be a hand to hand combat specialist. You can forget your stupid battle training. I'm not doing it anymore. I'm going to be an exobiologist. I won't need to know how to hurt people.-

Whump!

Jean Claude almost thought he could feel the bones break as her body collided with the wall.


End file.
